I Went to Fish

John B. ColwellContemplative

I went to fish, at a place I know, Where the stream winds languidly to and fro; There a red-bud stood adorned in pink, And greening willows fringed the brink.

The soothing 'plaint of the mourning dove Coalesced with jubilant notes from above That came from a thrasher's active throat. (Such a ribald air has the thrasher's note!)

In the quiet pools I cast my lure And breathed in the perfumed air so pure, That softly fanned my careworn brow. The PAST slipped by and I lived in the NOW.

Thus, ever, the NOW has a joy to give As spice for the hum-drum life we live If we but heed the proffered gift Our cares dissolve and are set adrift.

Did I catch the fish I went to get? Not a one did I snare. All are swimming yet. But the Unknown spoke His soothing words To my open heart, through the mouths of birds.

John B. Colwell

SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)

Mood:: Contemplative
Topics:: spring, stream, bird, fishing

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Summary

A man heads to a favorite fishing spot on a spring day, and the poem follows what he finds there instead of fish. The stream is lazy, a redbud is in bloom, willows are turning green, and birds fill the air with sound: a mourning dove's soft complaint, a thrasher's cheerful, slightly cheeky song. As he casts his line and breathes the fresh air, his worries drift away, and he finds himself living entirely in the present, which the poem marks by capitalizing "NOW."

The speaker then steps back to offer a bit of advice. Every moment holds some joy, he says, if we pay attention, and that joy can ease the dull routine of ordinary life. The final stanza adds a gentle joke and a twist: he caught nothing, but the fish are still swimming, and he doesn't seem to mind. He feels he was spoken to by the Unknown, through the birds. The mood is relaxed, warm, and quietly grateful, like a deep breath.

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I went to fish, at a I know,

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